Polar Bears win 1,000th game, first home night game in ONU Softball history in doubleheader split with Mount St. Joseph

ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team picked up two milestone victories with one swing of the bat in a doubleheader split with Mount St. Joseph in its home opener on Friday evening. ONU fell 10-6 in the first game and won the second game 8-7 in an extra-innings thriller in Ohio Northern's first night game at Durbin-Hileman Stadium. The victory was also the 1,000th in program history.

The Basics

• Records: Ohio Northern (4-10 overall), Mount St. Joseph (11-5 overall).
• Venue: Durbin-Hileman Stadium - Ada, Ohio.

Game 1 - L, 6-10

• MSJ scored in the top of the first to go up 1-0.
• In the bottom of the second, junior Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta) stole third base, then scored on an error to tie the game up 1-1.
• The Lions scored 5 runs in the top of the third inning and 3 more in the fifth inning to make the score 9-1.
• Freshman Mackenzie Hannahs (Alexandria/Northridge) hit an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning.
• MSJ scored again in the top of the fifth inning to make the score 10-2
• ONU scored 4 runs in the bottom of the fifth, but could not complete the comeback.
• MSJ out-hit ONU 19-12.

Game 2 - W, 8-7 (8 innings)

• Senior Callie Rosser (Republic/Monroeville) and Wilson both hit RBI doubles in the first inning to go up 2-0.
• Senior Taylor Hilty (Kettering/Fairmont) scored on a fielder's choice in the second inning.
• In the bottom of the fourth inning, freshman Melanie Amann (Columbus/Upper Arlington) hit an RBI single and freshman Jaylee Fansler (Plainfield, Ind./Avon) hit a solo homer to go up 5-0.
• MSJ scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game up and force extra innings.
• The Lions scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to go up 7-5.
• Hannahs scored on a fielder's choice and freshman Lillie Marker (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) hit an RBI double to tie the game up.
• Rosser hit a walk-off single up the middle to score Marker, winning the first ever night game in ONU history.
• Senior Ashley Lenser (Brookville) got the win in the circle for ONU.
• ONU out-hit MSJ 15-13.

Notables

• Ohio Northern is now 3-5 all-time against Mount St. Joseph.
• Lenser ranks 4th all-time in ONU history with 268 career strikeouts. She also has 97 career base hits.
• Rosser, Fansler, and Hannahs lead the team in batting through 14 games this season with averages of .432, .348 and .344, respectively.
• Ohio Northern is in its 58th season of softball. The Polar Bears are 1,000-690-4 all-time, a winning percentage of .590.
• First-year head coach Summer Collins is now 4-10 at Ohio Northern.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears will return to action on Sunday with a doubleheader at Ohio Wesleyan at 1 p.m.